Heater



Aug. 28, 1945. M, T WAY ETAL I 2,383,924

HEATER I Filed Nov; 4, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet l poses oi illustration.

Patented Aug. 28, 1945 HEATER Milton T. Way, Port Chester, N. Y., and Carl P.

Wolff, Glen Rock, N. J

Application November 4, 1944, Serial No. 56l,858

'10 Claims. (or. 122-182) This invention relates to hot water heaters for ships, homes, etc., and has for its object to provide a novel and improved heater of this type.

Another object of the invention is to provide a vertical downward-fired type of heater which is simple in construction, eflicient in operation, and is considerably smaller and more compact than previous heaters of like capacity.

Another object is to provide a heater of the foregoing type including anovel and improved boiler which not only insures maximum transfer of heat but furthermore serves to insulate the combustion chamber as a protection against fire.

Still another object is to provide a heater of the type described which may be readily assembled and disassembled for inspection and cleaning, and which embodies various novel details of construction and features f operation whereby the flow of water and the movement of flue gases are so directed and related as to insure maximum transier of heat and overall emciency of operaimparting a swirling motion to the combustion gases which enter the combustion chamber, as hereinafter described.

The heater comprises a pair of concentric vertical cylinders l0 and 12, the former constituting the furnace tube and the latter constituting the outer wall of the unit. These cylinders are secured, as by welding, to an upper annular plate iazspacedsomewhat below the top of the unit, and to a lower annular plate M disposed adiacent the bottom of the cylinders, as shown in Fig. l. I

An annular band is welded to the inner wall of furnace tube- Ill supports a refractory plug H and the superimposed annular blocks l8 of refractory brick which constitute the lining of the combustion chamber 20. The plus I! is in the general shape of a Maltese cross with the sides 69 of the cross bars scrolled or sloping downward to impart a swirling motion to the downwardly directed stream of combustion gases.

A feature of the invention resides in providing the heater with a removable wet bottom unit comprising a cylindrical shell 2| which is or the same diameter as the outer cylindrical wall I2 of the heater and has spaced horizontal plates 1 22 and 23 welded thereto, as shown in Fig. 1.

and scope of the invention may be better understood by referring to the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof, in which a specific embodiment has been set forth for pur- In the drawings: Fig. 1 is a vertical sectipn,.taken on line l-l of Fig. 2, illustrating a heater embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a transverse section taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1: and i Fig. 3 is a similar sectional view taken on I line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

In the following description certain specific terms are used for convenience in referring to the various details of the invention. T-hese terms, however. are to be interpreted as broadly as the state of the art-will permit.

The heater shown in the drawings is intended primarily for supplying hot water to the heating -The cylinder l2 rests upon the shell 2!, and 9.

when they are brought together as shown in Fig.

] 1. The juncture of the two sections is preferof flue gases, the top of which chamber is formed ably sealed withfurnace cement. Suitable anchor clips 25 are welded to the bottom of shell 2| for the purposeof securing the heater to the floor.

The annular horizontal plates 03 and it between cylinders and I2 serve to partition the heater into three separate chambers, as follows: an'upper annular chamber 21 for the discharge by the cover-6; an annular boiler chamber 28 the side walls of which comprise. the furnace tube 10 and the outer cylinder l2 of the heater; and a furnac chamber 29 which is open to the central combustion chamber 20 and has it bottom formed by the horizontal plane 22, as shown in ig. 1.

The horizontal plates 22 and 23 in the lower section of the heater form the wet bottom chamber 30 of the boiler, which is connected by suitnular boiler chamber.

able pipe unions 3| to the lower end of the an- Water is preferably circulated through the boiler by a suitable pump,

2 not shown, entering the wet bottom chamber through pipe 3!, then flowing, through pipe unions It into the annular boiler chamber 28, and leaving thetop of said chamber 20 through pipe ill.

furnace chamber 29 and their upper ends opening into the annular flue chamber 21. The chamber 21 is provided with a suitablepipe 36 for discharging the flue gases to the atmosphere,

A plurality of horizontal arcuate baille plates 3] are mounted in staggered relation, and spaced apart vertically, in the annular boiler chamberfor the purpose of deflecting the rising column of water in chamber 28 in a tortuous course across the "surfaces of the fire tubes 35. The bailies 31 may be welded to the furnace tube Illand cylinder l2 and are provided with holes through which the fire tubes 35 extend, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

In' operation, the combustion gases from the oil burner I are blown through the combustion chamber 20 at high velocity, a pressure blower preferably being employed for this purpose. The special design of the refractory plug I! in the combustion chamber imparts to the hot gases a swirling motion which results in higher heat transfer by virtue of the wiping action which the gases are made to take across the heating surface of the chamber. The air for combustionintroduced by the blower on the oil burner I is given a swirling motion by the vanes 9 in the end of they blower tube 8 where it enters the combustion chamber 20. However, this swirling motion would be dissipated in the combustion chamber were it not for the specially designed plug II which amplifies and continues. the swirling motion or rotary travel of the gases throughout the combustion chamber and lower furnace chamber 29 of the heater. The hot gases swirling through combustion chamber 20 impinge upon the upper plate of the wet bottom chamber 30. which is in the area of hottest products of combustion, thus provelocity of gas travel through the heater. The

high velocity of gas travel furthermore eliminates the necessity for a discharge stack, since the circulation of gases" is not dependent upon draft created by a stack. These and the other novel features of construction heretofore described resuit in a higher output and higher efliciency witha smaller and much more compact heater design than has heretofore been possible.

Although a speciflcembodiment of the invention has been "shown and described for'purposes of illustration, it will be evident to those skilled in the art that the invention is capable of various modifications and adaptations within the scope and spirit of the appended claims.

The invention claimed is:

l. A hot water heater comprising spaced walls forming an inner combustion chamber and an outer boiler chamber, partitions closing the bottom of said boiler chamber and forming a fiue chamber above said boiler chamber, a bottom section for said heater including a partition form- 'ing a furnace chamber open to said combustion ity of fire tubes extending through said boiler chamber and opening into said furnace chamber and said flue chamber for conducting combustion gases to the latter, means for circulating water through said wet bottom chamber and said boiler chamber, and means for circulating h'ot combustion gases through said combustion chamber.

2. A hot water heater comprising spaced walls forming an inner'combustion chamber and an outer boiler chamber, partitions closing the bottom of said boiler chamber and forming a flue chamber above said boiler chamber, a bottom section for said heater including a partition forming a furnace chamber open to said combusviding efllcient transfer of heat to the water flowing through chamber 30. In addition to providing an efficient heating surface, the wet bottom chamber 30 also serves to insulate the boiler on or adjacent the, fioor and, would constitute a serious fire hazard. This cannot happen with our heater because the bottom chamber next to the floor, being filled with water, servesas a protection against fire.

the water rises in the annular boiler chamwater travel and resultant high velocity through the boiler, serves to' increase the transfer of heat as aprotection against fire. This is often ex- 1 ,the wooden floor of a building, as in such case the fire box of an ordinary furnace would rest .jberi fl, the horizontal bailles 31 between the various fire tubes 35 serve to direct the fiow of water across the tube surfaces, and, by creating a longer from the fiue gases in tubes 35 to the surrounding water. In practice, th space between cylinder I2 and the outer casing 5 is filled with suit-- able type of insulation 3|. Y

The provision of a multitude of smalldiameter fire tubes 35, coupled with a high ratio of heattion chamber and a separate wet bottom chamber adapted to contain water to be heated, a plurality of fire tubes extending vertically through said boiler chamber and opening into said furnace chamber and said flue chamber-for conducting combustion gases to the latter, means for discharging gases from said flue chamber, means for admitting water to said wet bottom chamber, means for circulating water from said wet bottom chamber upwardly through said boiler chamber, means for withdrawing the water from the top of said boiler chamber, and means for circulating hot combustion gases downwardly through said combustion chamber.

'3. A hot water heater comprising spaced walls forming an inner cylindrical combustion chamber and an outer annular boiler chamber, partitions closing the bottom of said boiler chamber and forming an annular flue chamber above said boiler chamber, a bottom section for said heater including a partition forming a cylindrical furnace chamber open to said combustion chamber and a separate wet bottom chamber adapted to contain water to be-heated, a plurality of fire tubes extending vertically through said annular boiler'chamber and opening into said cylindrical -fumace chamber and said flue chamber for con-' ducting combustion gases to the latter, means for discharging gases from said flue chamber, means for admitting water to said wet bottom chamber, mean for-circulating water from said wet bottom chamber upwardly through said annular boiler chamber, means for withdrawing the water from the top of said annular boiler chamber, and means for blowing hot combustion gases in: surfaceto return line area, results in high downwa dly throush said: combustion chamber.

4. A hot water heater comprising a pair of concentric vertical cylinders forming an inner cylindrical combustion chamber and an outer annular space, horizontal partitions closing the bottom of said annular space and dividing it into a separate upper annular flue chamber and a lower annular boiler chamber, a bottom section for said I heater formed by a vertical cylindrical wall, a pair of horizontal plates dividing said bottom section into a. cylindrical furnace chamber open to said combustionchamber and a separate wet bottom chamber adapted to contain water to be heated, a plurality of fire tubes extending vertically through said annular boiler chamber and opening into said cylindrical furnace chamber and said flue chamber for conducting combustion gases to the. latter, means for discharging gases from said flue chamber, means for admitting water to said wet bottom chamber, means for circulating water fromsaid wet bottom chama,aes,ea4

"heater. 1

6. A hot water heater according to claim 5, in

in said annular boiler chamber fordirecting the rising column of water therein'across the surfaces of said flre tubes, and means for blowing hot combustion gases downwardly through said combustion chamber into the cylindrical furnace chamber which said water directing means comprises a plurality of baiiies in the annular boiler chamber for deflecting the rising column of water across --.the surfaces of the-fire tubes.

7. A hot water heateraccordingto claim 5, in which said water directing means comprises a plurality of arcuate baflles mounted in staggered relation in the annular boiler chamber and spaced apart vertically to deflect the rising column of water across the surfaces of said flre tubes.

ber upwardly through said annular boiler cham ber, means for withdrawing the water from the top of said annular boiler chamber, and means for blowing hot combustion gases downwardly through said combustion chamber.

5. A hot water heater comprising a pair or.

concentric vertical cylindersforming an inner cylindrical combustion chamber and an outer annular space, horizontal partitions closing the bottom of said annular space and dividing it into an upper annular flue chamber and a lower an nular boiler chamber, a removable bottom sec--v tlon for said heater formed by a vertical cylin-' 8. A hot water heater according to claim i, having means in said combustion chamber for directing said gases in a swirling rotary path into the furnace chamber of said heater.

9. A hot water heater according to claim 5, having a refractory plug in said combustion chamber in the path of said combustion gases, said plug having aplurality of cross bars sloping downwardly -to direct said gases in a swirling rotary path into the cylindrical furnace chama forming an inner combustion chamber and an drical wall, a pair of horizontal plates dividing said bottom section into a cylindrical furnace chamber open to said combustion chamber and a separate wet bottom chamber adapted extending vertically through said annular boiler chamber and opening into said cylindrical furnace chamber and said flue chamber for conducting combustion gases to the latter, means for discharging gases from'said fluechamber, means for admitting water to said wet bottnm chamber, means for connectingsaid wet bottom chamber to the bottom of said annular boiler chamber for circulating water upwardly therethrough, means for withdrawing the water from the top of said annular boiler chamber, means ber inthe bottom of said heater.

10. A hot water heater comprising spaced walls outerboiler chamber, a partition forming a flue chamber closed 0!! from one end of said boiler chamber, partitions at the other end of said .boiler chamber "forming a furnace chamber to contain water to be heated, a plurality of flre tubes qo chamber, a plurality of flre tubes extending ,through said boiler chamber and opening into closed oil! from said boiler chamber and open to said combustion chamber and forming "an-end water chamber closed oflf from said furnace 1 said furnace chamber and said flue chamber for conducting combustion gases to the latter, means in the bottom section of said. 

